The School-Based Counseling Clinic Mission

Our Mission is to provide the highest quality comprehensive counseling services to the students and families of Estabrook Learning Community, Ypsilanti Community High School., WIMA, & WIHI. We pledge to empower our elementary, middle school and high school students (grades 2nd-12th) to resolve personal, emotional, and social problems as they interfere with their adjustment to school/society and their capacity to enjoy the fullest benefits of the education and life offered to them. ​Our goal is to decrease barriers to students gaining access to mental health services so they can be well and achieve their potential.

Estabrook Learning Community

Ypsilanti Community High School YCHS

WIMA & WIHI

EMU Porter Building (Counseling Clinic Located on Ground Floor, #135)

The Counseling Process

Who provides the counseling?

Graduate students in the counseling program from Eastern Michigan University

These graduate students have completed the core coursework in one of three C.A.C.R.E.P. approved Master's programs (Clinical Mental Health Counseling, College Counseling, & School Counseling)

How long are counseling sessions?

Counseling sessions generally occur once every week during a class or section of the day that is the least disruptive to their learning. Each session with a counselor lasts for 30-40 minutes.

What is Counseling?

Counseling is a collaborative effort between the counselor and client. Professional counselors help clients identify goals and potential solutions to problems which cause emotional turmoil; seek to improve communication and coping skills; strengthen self-esteem; and promote behavior change and optimal mental health.

What is the confidentiality policy?

All counseling sessions are kept confidential between the counselor and student client. Legal and ethical requirements that the following situations warrant the breaking of confidentiality:

Client is a danger to themselves.

Client is a danger to others.

Client is involved in suspected abuse/neglect.

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What is the cost?

The services provided by the EMU School-Based Counseling Clinics are 100% FREE for all students and family members within the Ypsilanti Community Schools.

How to receive services?

Student clients have different options for being referred to the counseling clinic.

A referral (professional suggestion/recommendation) from one of their teachers or administrators.

A self-referral by the student.

A referral from a friend or classmate.

After receiving the referral the clinic requires the following documents to be signed and returned with parent or guardian consent before services are provided:

Informed Consent & Disclosure

Confidential Student Client Intake Form

These forms MUST be physical copies. NO Electronic copies will be accepted due to confidentiality policies

What Issues do we work with?

Self-Esteem

Bullying/Harassment

Body Image/Weight

ADHD

Boys & Girls Groups

School Avoidance

Abuse/Neglect

Grief & Loss

Anger Management

Depression

Anxiety

Trauma & Disaster

LGBTQ+ Issues

Substance Use/Abuse

Multicultural Issues

Suicidal Ideation

What are common goals in counseling?

Improving relationships

Increasing effectiveness in school

Enhancing sense of self-worth

Strengthening self-esteem

Improving communication skills

Processing through trauma and/or stress

Processing complex emotions/feelings

Referral Process

Who can receive counseling services?

How do I become a client?

Any student that attends Estabrook Learning Community, Ypsilanti Community High School, WIMA, or WIHI. These students must be referred (recommended) to receive counseling services by a staff member, parent, friend, or themselves (self-referral). The referral form that must be submitted is located outside both clinic offices as well as on the forms tab.

In addition to students all family members of the students currently enrolled are eligible for counseling services through Eastern Michigan University's Counseling Clinic. If you or your family members are interested in pursuing services click here.

There are three steps to becoming a client with the EMU school Based Counseling Clinics:

Submit a referral form to the appropriate clinic office (Forms can be turned into the main office of either building).

Have a parent/guardian read, sign, and return the informed consent form to the appropriate clinic office (Forms can be turned into the main office of either building).

The clinic site coordinator will then schedule clients if there is not currently a wait list for services. If there is no wait list the site coordinator will communicate appointment times with teachers and the student client.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

​FAQS ABOUT OUR SCHOOL-BASED CLINICAL MENTAL HEALTH COUNSELING CLINICsWe provide free counseling at our School-Based Counseling Clinics (SBCCs) at Ypsilanti Community High School (YCHS; grades 9-12), Estabrook Learning Community (ELC; grades 2-8), Washtenaw International Middle Academy (WIMA; grades 6-8), and Washtenaw International High School (WIHI; grades 9-12) during the school day. We have partnered with the school district to provide this service.

Please review the FAQs below for information regarding our program.

What is the School-Based Counseling Clinic (SBCC) and why have the counseling clinics in the schools?

The Counseling Program at Eastern Michigan University and the EMU College of Education Clinical Suite (Counseling Clinic) currently provide via our School-Based Counseling Clinics (SBCC) FREEindividual clinical counseling for elementary & middle school (ELC; WIMA) and high school (YCHS; WIHI) students during the school day. In addition, we provide free group counseling to referred students.

Our mission is to help students resolve personal, emotional, and social problems as they interfere with their adjustment to school/society/family and their capacity to enjoy the fullest benefits of the education/life offered to them. We want to enhance the psychological well-being of the students and build upon the student’s strengths and the strengths of his/her/their support systems.

SBCC office space for records, etc. and private space for CITs/interns to counsel the student clients are provided by the schools.

2.Rationale for establishing SBCCs?

SBCCs reduces the gap between students’ mental health needs and availability of mental health services by providing treatment convenient to where students are during their school day.

Locating the clinics in the schools helps to remove barriers such as transportation, caretaker/parent/guardian schedules, trust, cultural misunderstandings, stigmatization, access and coordination of services, and financial affordability.

The school environment is more familiar, neutral, accessible, and acceptable (than an outside clinic) to our student clients and their families.

The SBCCs were developed to provide counseling services to Ypsilanti school students and to provide training for advanced graduate students in our MA program in Counseling. The student clients benefit: e.g., better attendance, less behavioral referrals, better feelings about self, less anger, improved decision-making, less depression & anxiety, reduction of the risk of suicide, reduced feelings of stress and the EMU CITs/Interns benefit: e.g., supervised training in clinical counseling, opportunity to work with professionals and treatment teams in the public school environment, experience counseling children and adolescents with diverse backgrounds and opportunities.

Who provides the free counseling to the students?

Counseling is provided by Counselors-In-Training (CITs), who are advanced graduate students in our counseling master’s program. They are completing their practicum or internship requirements and are supervised by faculty who are licensed professional counselors (LPCs).

Who coordinates the SBCC?

A licensed professional counselor (LPC) coordinates the SBCCs. Diane Parfitt, PhD, LPC, LP, ACS, is the SBCC coordinator and consultant. She is present at the SBCC clinics while the CITs/Interns are counseling but is not be present in the actual counseling sessions. Dr. Parfitt is also an Associate Professor in the Department of Leadership & Counseling at EMU.

A Graduate Assistant (GA) works at the SBCC clinics to set up and maintain records, facilitate retrieval of Informed Consents, set up initial appointments, and a myriad of miscellaneous tasks. Currently Andrea Goossens is our SBCC GA.

At times, the SBCC staff and clinicians collaborate with school personnel for coordination of services.

How are students referred for counseling?

School counselors, school social workers, school psychologists, faculty, staff, and administrators are encouraged to complete referrals for the counseling of students at their respective schools. Students may also refer themselves.

A school liaison or his or her designee and/or the student’s teacher will contact the referred student to explain our services and request that the student and his or her caregiver(s) review our Informed Consent letter.

Once the caregiver and student review and sign the letter, the school liaison and the GA will coordinate setting up the first counseling session with the student and a CIT.

In addition to the referral, what is required for the student to be able to receive counseling at the SBCCs?

Caretaker/parental/guardian and student permission are required. Caretakers/parents/guardians and students must sign the Informed Consent form indicating that they understand our program. Signing the form also gives the CIT permission to begin counseling and videorecording the counseling sessions with the student client.

CITs will give a copy of their own professional disclosure statement to the student client during their first session.

The student client will be asked to complete a “Client Confidential Information” form (questionnaire) prior to or during the first session.

The CITs will contact the student’s caregiver following their first session if permission has been given to be contacted via phone.

This is a voluntary experience. The parent/guardian, student client, or both parties have the option to revoke consent and thereby terminate counseling by the CIT.

Family members may be invited to participate in the counseling process with their child but are not required to do so.

When does the free clinical counseling take place?

Counseling takes place on a weekly basis during the school day. It is possible that each student client referred at the beginning of Eastern’s semester could receive up to 13 weeks of free weekly counseling per semester. In addition, the student client could continue to receive counseling the following semester with the same or new counselor. Once school is out for the summer, the student client may opt to continue counseling at our on-campus clinic during the summer months. There is no charge for this.

If counseling takes place during the student client’s school day, the CITs will rotate the student clients’ counseling sessions so that they do not miss the same classes every week. This is coordinated with the students, teachers, and the counseling department.

It is possible for student clients who are not available during their school day to be seen at EMU’s on-campus COE Counseling Clinic (734.487.4410). School students and their families will not be charged a fee for counseling at the COE clinic.

Does the SBCC substitute for counseling by professional school counselors, social workers, or school psychologists?

It is important to note that our SBCC does not replace or substitute for the professional school counselors, school social workers, or school psychologists and their services at the schools. Some students who receive services from the SBCC may not qualify for services of the school social workers or school psychologists. Thus, we are providing an additional that they may not receive otherwise.

We work in conjunction with school professionals to provide the best possible counseling for our clients.

9.What kind of counseling is offered?

Individual, group, and family counseling.

A combination of approaches from reality therapy, play therapy, person-centered therapy, restorative practices, and cognitive-behavioral therapy are used.

10.Who supervises the EMU CITs?

All CITs who are practicum students are closely supervised by their on-campus counseling Practicum instructor. They receive both individual and group supervision.

The SBCC coordinator provides individual supervision for the Interns and the on-campus counseling Internship instructor provides group supervision.

In addition, Dr. Parfitt is onsite when CITs are at the schools counseling students. She works as a liaison between Eastern and YCS for the SBCC and as a consultant for the CITs.

11.How confidential is the SBCC counseling?

CITs abide by the ethical codes of the American Counseling Association and the school codes for each school. CITs also abide by Family Education Rights Privacy Act (FERPA) guidelines and the State of Michigan law.

We place a high value on the confidentiality of information that is shared with the CITs. Please be aware, however, that legal and ethical requirements specify certain times when CITs may need to discuss information with another person without the student client’s consent. These situations include:

CIT believes that the student client may be a danger to himself/herself.

CIT believes that the student client may be a danger to another person.

CIT suspects that the student client may be involved in the abuse and/or neglect of a child.

CIT suspects that someone may be involved in the abuse/neglect of the student client.

CIT receives a court order to release the student client’s records.

At times, the CITs may need to consult with their treatment team members, EMU supervisor, SBCC coordinator, and/or school personnel for better serving the student client.

The student client’s school records may be accessed only if the CIT has obtained written permission from the student client’s legal caretaker.

12.Why are the sessions videorecorded?

In keeping the standard training procedures of our counseling accreditation body, Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs (CACREP), all counseling sessions are videorecorded. This is done to provide the CIT with supervision and feedback from his/her liaison, supervisor, and team of other CITs to enhance the services the student client receives. All video recordings are erased at the end of counseling.

EMU provides the equipment used for the videotaping of the counseling sessions.

13.What records will be kept?

All records are kept in secure locations, some in hard copy form, and some electronically. Electronic records will be recorded in Titanium which has HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) compliant features.

Forms used and kept on file throughout the counseling period are similar to forms used and kept at EMU’s on-campus COE Counseling Clinic. The forms are the Referral, Informed Consent, Confidential Student Client Information, initial summary, weekly progress notes, treatment plan, sample work done in sessions, session log, crisis plan (if necessary), and discharge summary.

At the termination of the counseling sessions all video recordings will be erased or destroyed. The remaining records will be kept on file at EMU for 3 years.

It is important to note that our records are not a part of the school educational records.

Parents may have access to our records but are discouraged from accessing confidential records as it may interfere with the counseling alliance and process.

Feel free to contact Diane Parfitt, PhD, LPC, LP, ACS at 734.649.2690 with your questions or email her at dparfitt@emich.edu

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